Temps plummet and so do wagers at Mount Airy Casino

Wednesday

Jan 23, 2008 at 12:18 PM

Weather was blamed for a drop in last week’s wagers at Mount Airy Casino Resort.

Total betting at the Paradise Township slots parlor dropped by twice the state average last week, to $39.2 million, but it still retains the number four spot among the states’ six licensed slots operations.

“The this weeks results show that Mount Airy continues to be impacted by local weather conditions, and our numbers will continue to fluxuate from week to week throughout the year,” according to casino spokesperson Pete Peterson.

Sunday’s temperatures were bitter cold, and light snow and freezing rain fell throughout the week.

Mount Airy’s payout rate – the percentage of wagers awarded as winnings – dropped as well, inching closer to the rates paid at casinos at Philadelphia Park and Presque Isle. Mount Airy had led all state slots operations in payouts since it opened in Oct. 2007.

Betting across the state dropped by six percent last week. Gross terminal revenue, the taxable portion of the casino’s revenues. came in at $23.5 million, generating $13 million in taxes for the state. Mount Airy’s GTRs, at $2.9 million, produced about $29,000 in tax revenues for the county.

Peterson said the hotel at Mount Airy continues to do well, and the spa and salon are on schedule to open in February. They have also begun booking meetings and conferences for local businesses in their on-site facilities, and plan to increase a marketing efforts to promote it.